A vehicle grille is generally mounted to the front of the vehicle so that the grille covers an opening into the engine compartment. The grille has a pattern of smaller openings passing therethrough so that air passes through the grille and into the engine compartment to cool the vehicle engine. While the openings in the grille are large enough and of sufficient number to allow the required air flow into the engine compartment, the are generally small enough to provide protection against foreign objects and debris entering the engine compartment, where they could damage the vehicle radiator and other engine components. The grille may also serve an aesthetic function, being formed to provide a desired appearance when mounted on the vehicle. Consequently, the design of vehicle grilles is determined not only by function, but also by appearance.
Vehicle grilles can be manufactured from a wide range of materials and using a variety of manufacturing techniques in order to provide a desired appearance. For example, some grilles are formed from molded polymeric materials, while other grilles comprise assemblies made from a plurality of metal components. In addition, some grilles are painted to match the color of the vehicle. If a highly reflective finish is desired, chrome may be applied to the grille. Alternately, if the grille is formed from metal, the metal may be polished to create the highly reflective finish.
Grille surrounds are often mounted to the vehicle to surround the periphery of the grille and provide an aesthetically pleasing transition between the grille and the body of the vehicle. A grille surround can have any of a variety of configurations depending on the desired appearance. Some grille surrounds cover the edges of the grille so that the edges are not visible from the exterior of the vehicle. Other grille surrounds cover the fasteners that attach the grille to the vehicle so that the fasteners are not visible from the exterior of the vehicle. As with the grilles, the grille surrounds can also have various finishes to provide a desired appearance. Among the possible finishes are paint and a highly polished reflective finish.
A reflective finish can be obtained by any of a number of methods. For example, a layer of chrome can be applied to the grille surround. However, applying chrome represents an additional manufacturing step and added cost. If the grille surround is formed from metal, the surface of the grille surround can be highly polished to provide the reflective finish, and the cost and time associated with applying a chrome finish can be avoided.
In some instances, it is desirable to attach the grille surround to the vehicle so that no fasteners or other means of attachment are visible from the exterior of the vehicle. In these instances, the surround may be formed from a flat sheet of metal and have brackets or threaded fastening means welded to the back surface thereof to provide a means by which the surround may be mounted to the vehicle. This configuration works well when the grille surround is to be painted or when chrome is to be applied thereto. However, such a configuration is undesirable when the metal of the grille surround is to be highly polished to provide a reflective finish. When grille surrounds having such a configuration are polished, the welds tend to “read through” to the front surface of the grille surround. That is, evidence of the welds is visible on the highly polished front surface of the grille surround, providing an undesirable appearance.